A great way to get some sewing done is take it on for someone else’s Christmas gift! Boy, that motivated me to get sewing. But I enjoyed all of it. Well almost all of it.

I didn’t love how the sleeves were set in on the pattern I was using. The first robe I made I followed all the instructions to a T. And the underarms of the sleeves weren’t as neat as I wanted them.

So on the second robe, I used a flat construction process, which I like so much better. However, I still didn’t love how the sleeves looked under the arm. But other than that, to which my dear husband says, ‘no one but you will even notice something like that’, I’m quite happy with how they turned out.

Here’s the red robe. And below is the blue one.

I wasn’t completely done this one when I took the picture. The sleeves still hadn’t been hemmed, and the belt wasn’t done yet either.

They are very cute though, and should keep those wonderful boys warm.

While my machine was out and I was on a sewing roll, I repaired two bras that had some strap issues. While I was fixing them, I also shortened the straps on both of them.

But one bra that has been really bothering me is the Prima Donna Duchess I have. The left wire was popping out of its channeling and making it very uncomfortable to wear.

You can see here how it is a bit twisted. I did try to reinforce the channeling there with some hand sewing, but it wasn’t strong enough. So I popped that wire out and ran a few machine stitches over it. Put the wire back in and am hoping for the best now. Other than that, this is an extremely comfortable bra.

And I also worked on my favorite skirt. Having lost that weight over the last few years, my skirt was too big. But there was no way I was going to put it in the give-away pile. I opened the waistband where it was sewn to the slip, and then again under the elastic. I cut and overlapped the elastic and sewed it back up again. It fits perfectly! I was so happy with that little alteration.

And lastly, I had two jewelry classes this past week. Both classes were wire wrapping classes, where we made earrings. Here’s a sample of what I made in my classes.

These are black shell with blue crystals on gold-plated ear wires.

And a similar pair with the same shells but this time with a champagne crystal. Again on gold-plated ear wires.

Lastly, two fun bracelets. The blue one with drusy stones, and the second one with red bamboo coral and turquoise. I love that one.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s!